For the fourth time in five seasons, Washington played on Thanksgiving, playing theDallas Cowboys for the third time in that span. Also notable was their scheduled absence fromMonday Night Football for the first time since1999,[2] although the Week 13 game against thePittsburgh Steelers was played on a Monday due toCOVID-19-related schedule changes affecting the Steelers' previous week. Washington ended up winning that game to hand the 11–0 Steelers their first loss of the season.
Despite their below-average record, Washington's defense ranked among the best in the league, allowing a total of just 329 points, the fourth-fewest. They also allowed a total of 4,873 yards, the second-lowest behind theRams (4,511).[3]
Washington traded their second-round selection (No. 34 overall), along with their2019 second-round selection to theIndianapolis Colts in exchange for the Colts' 2019 first-round selection.
Washington traded their sixth-round selection to theDenver Broncos in exchange forquarterbackCase Keenum and the Broncos' seventh-round selection.
Washington traded offensive tackleTrent Williams to theSan Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 49ers' fifth-round selection and a third-round selection in the 2021 draft.
In their first game as the Washington Football Team, they fell behind 17–0 to the Eagles. Despite the deficit, Washington shut out the Eagles in the second half by accumulating 8 sacks on defense and scoring 27 unanswered points for a 27–17 victory. This was Washington's first victory over the Eagles since Week 14 of the2016 season, snapping a six-game losing streak against Philadelphia. The win was also the largest comeback against the Eagles in franchise history. With the win, Washington improved to 1–0 for the first time since2018 (the first time winning a home opener since2014).[7] Washington also snapped a ten-game division losing streak dating back to 2018.
Haskins threw for a career-high three interceptions and lost one fumble. With the loss, the all-time regular season record for the franchise fell to 604–605–28, making it the first time since1975 that the record fell below a .500 winning percentage.[8]
In the second quarter Kyle Allen left the game with what was ruled as an arm injury, leavingAlex Smith to play the remainder of the game. This marked Smith's first NFL game appearance since suffering a severe leg fracture in 2018. Washington's offense was again hampered by quarterback play as they lost 30–10. Their 108 total yards of offense was the fewest by any team in any game all season.
Giants linebackerTae Crowder recovered a Kyle Allen fumble for the go-ahead score and Washington responded with a touchdown of their own with 36 seconds remaining. Coach Rivera opted to go for the game-winning two point conversion which fell incomplete. As a result, Washington lost their fifth straight game overall and their fourth consecutive against the Giants.
Washington's defense had six sacks and only allowed 142 yards of offense. Heading into the bye, the team improved to 2–5, moved to 2–1 in the NFC East, and snapped a three-game losing streak to the Cowboys.
In the first and only game with fans, starting quarterback Kyle Allen suffered a gruesome injury early in the game and was subsequently replaced by Alex Smith. Washington failed to complete a 20–3 comeback and lost 23–20 when Smith threw two interceptions on the final two possessions. Washington was swept by the Giants for the second consecutive season and the seventh time dating back to the2008 season.
Alex Smith started his first game since Week 11 of the2018 season. After falling behind 24–3, Smith and the offense rallied with three straight touchdowns by running backsAntonio Gibson andJ. D. McKissic in the second half to tie the game at 24. The Lions responded with a field goal and Washington responded with one of their own to tie the game at 27 with 16 seconds to play. However, on the ensuing Detroit drive, kickerMatt Prater drilled a 59-yard field goal as the clock expired. Washington fell to 2–7 after the crushing loss.
The Bengals were playing a close game against Washington until the third quarter when Bengals rookie quarterback andHeisman Trophy winnerJoe Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Bengals were unable to move the ball with backupRyan Finley and Washington took control of the game. With the win on Homecoming Weekend, the team improved to 3–7, matching their win total from the previous season. This was Washington's first victory over Cincinnati since their1991 Super Bowl-winning season and their first at home since1985.
Washington and Dallas played on Thanksgiving afternoon for the 10th time inthe rivalry's history. After a close first half, Washington went on a run of 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a 15-yard interception return for a touchdown byMontez Sweat, the first of his career.Antonio Gibson became the first rookie with three touchdowns on Thanksgiving sinceRandy Moss in1998.[9] With the win, Washington improved to 4–7 and swept Dallas for the first time since2012 and only the second time since2005.[10][11] Washington also won in Dallas on Thanksgiving for the second time ever, the first since 2012, and won for the fourth time on the holiday all-time, their first since2017.
The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed to Monday due to scheduling changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While down 14–0 in the second quarter, Washington got a quick field goal before halftime and opened the second half with aPeyton Barber touchdown run to cut the deficit to 14–10 before the Steelers offense regained possession. Their defense clamped down, only allowing 120 total yards in the second half.Logan Thomas tied the game mid-way through the fourth quarter whileJon Bostic intercepted a pass tipped byMontez Sweat with 1:59 to play. KickerDustin Hopkins made two field goals to put the game at 23–17, which the Steelers were not able to recover from. With the win, Washington improved to 5–7, having won three straight games for the first time since Weeks 6–8 of the2018 season. This was also Washington's first win over Pittsburgh since their1991 Super Bowl-winning season.
With scores from rookie defendersChase Young andKamren Curl, Washington scored two defensive touchdowns in a game for the first time since Week 17 of the1997 season, whenDarryl Pounds and Hall of FamerDarrell Green accomplished this feat.[12] With the win, Washington improved their record to 6–7 and, with the Giants' loss to the Arizona Cardinals earlier that day, took over sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Washington also won four games in a row for the first time since2016.
With a Giants loss to the Baltimore Ravens earlier that afternoon, Washington had an opportunity to clinch the division title against Carolina. The team instead put together a performance of errors, including a mishandled punt bySteven Sims that was recovered for a Panthers touchdown, a 10-play scoring drive of all run plays allowed by the defense and an additional three turnovers fromDwayne Haskins, who was eventually benched in the fourth quarter forTaylor Heinicke. With their second consecutive loss, the team dropped to 6–9 and clinched their fourth straight losing season. Haskins was released by the team the following day.
In a matchup that was flexed toNBC Sunday Night Football, Washington defeated the Eagles 20–14 to clinch the NFC East for the first time since the2015 season. This was Washington's first sweep of Philadelphia since the2016 season. With a final record of 7–9, Washington became just the third team in league history to win their division with a losing record after the2010 Seattle Seahawks and2014 Carolina Panthers, the latter of whom were also coached by Rivera. They also became the first team in NFL history to clinch a playoff berth after starting the season 2–7.
^abNew Orleans finished ahead of Seattle based on conference record.
^abChicago finished and clinched the 7th and final playoff spot ahead of Arizona based on better win percentage in common games (against Detroit, the NY Giants, Carolina, and the LA Rams, Chicago finished 3–2, while Arizona finished 1–4).
^abSan Francisco finished ahead of the NY Giants based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Dallas (see below).
^abNY Giants won tiebreaker over Dallas based on division record.
^abCarolina finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.
Despite a late comeback and a strong performance from quarterbackTaylor Heinicke, Washington's season ended at the hands ofTom Brady and the eventualSuper Bowl LV championTampa Bay Buccaneers with a 31–23 home loss. It was Washington's fifth straight playoff loss dating back to2005 and their third consecutive home playoff loss dating back to1999.
^Washington's Week 13 game in Pittsburgh was originally scheduled for December 6 at 1:00 p.m. EST, before being moved toDecember 7 due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Baltimore Ravens' organization that forced the Ravens' Week 12 game at the Steelers, originally scheduled to be Thanksgiving, to be pushed back to December 1, 2020.[5]
^abDue to a ban on all contact sports imposed bySanta Clara County in California as a result of rising COVID-19 cases, the 49ers hosted all of their remaining home games at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.[6]
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